God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 11: Episode 2 _ Enhancement is All About the Location (4)
“...Hm.”
“Huh?”
"ROOAAR!"
Jeong Seolah, who had driven the dagger in, Han Simin, who saw his longsword lying uselessly on the ground, and the polar bear, which had been stabbed—all were stunned by the completely unexpected turn of events.
“It looks like it’s in a lot of pain,” Han Simin observed.
“Y-Yes, it does,” Jeong Seolah agreed.
"Graaah!"
Even as she stabbed it, she had only held a sliver of hope. The aura emanating from the +13 beginner’s dagger was undeniably powerful, so she knew it would deal more damage than before. But she had never expected this level of success.
‘It’s just a beginner’s dagger...’
The longsword she had been using was a level 10 weapon with fifteen attack power, purchased from a shop. That was a full one-and-a-half times more powerful than the beginner’s dagger. ‘Is this the difference between +10 and +13?’ A chill ran down her spine. She had gathered some information on enhancement, but there was no way to know the exact stat changes that came with each level. Knowing this was her chance to deal additional damage while the polar bear thrashed about, Jeong Seolah still took a moment to check the dagger’s stats.
[+13 Beginner’s Low-Grade Dagger]
* Grade: Normal
* Required Level: 1
* Attack Power: 10(+40)
* Option 1: All Stats +5(+20)
* Option 2: Indestructible, Infinite Durability
* Option 3: ’Deep Golden Aura’ effect applied
- Recovers 4% of Health and Mana every 10 seconds
- Reduces incoming damage by 10% and reflects it
Her large eyes, which had been wavering with uncertainty, widened in shock.
“What is it?” Han Simin asked. Was there a problem?
Her gaze shifted to him. “...We can win.”
“What?”
“I think we can win.”
Jeong Seolah was a woman who had everything: looks, money, and talent. Among them, her talent for combat was overwhelming. After a cool-headed assessment, she came to a conclusion.
“I’m going to win this.”
Han Simin was tapped out. It was a one-on-one fight against a named monster six levels higher, before she had even chosen her advanced class. And yet, after seeing the dagger’s stats, Jeong Seolah smiled coldly. It was a captivating smile, filled with the conviction that this single weapon could replace the teammates she had fought alongside for years.
"GRAAAWR!"
The polar bear, having recovered from the initial wound, bared its teeth at her, but Jeong Seolah calmly lowered her stance. It hadn’t been a waste of time; she now understood the exact increase in her capabilities.
‘I want it,’ she thought. The dagger’s stats were so broken that for a moment, a wicked temptation flashed through her mind. Its attack power was a staggering twenty points higher than her own enhanced longsword, and the +25 to all stats helped close the level gap. On top of that, the ‘Deep Golden Aura’ effect was the deciding factor that convinced her she could win. The playing field had been leveled. In that case, she couldn’t lose.
Jeong Seolah charged.
* * *
Watching the battle with his health hanging by a thread, Han Simin’s jaw dropped.
‘This is insane.’
He had always prided himself on being a good gamer, and since he was athletic, he thought he had fought quite well for his first time in virtual reality. After all, just being able to attack an enemy showing open hostility without flinching was a huge advantage for the average person. But watching Jeong Seolah fight, he felt like he was seeing true combat for the first time. She moved, dodged, and stabbed like a warrior who had spent decades on the battlefield. Unlike him, who rolled on instinct, she saw the incoming attacks and evaded them with minimal movement. It was the kind of action you’d only expect to see in movies, and he was seeing it in person.
‘She wasn’t just some pay-to-win player!’
A player armed with money who also had incredible control? That was just unfair. It was enough to make him jealous.
Pshnk.
"Roaar."
If he were the same level as her with the same items, could he fight like that? A bitter feeling arose as he shook his head. It was as if the dagger was a completely different weapon in her hands. Still, he steeled his resolve.
‘My job is just to make money, anyway.’ He had a talent that Jeong Seolah lacked.
“Go, Seolah!”
Hadn’t he planned from the start to use his items to power-level himself? Remembering his purpose, he began to cheer her on. Allowing the attacks she could afford to take while landing precise counterattacks, her movements slowly began to accumulate wounds on the polar bear’s body.
“Haah... Huff...”
It was a battle of attrition. The massive polar bear’s durability was just as impressive. The reason Jeong Seolah’s party had failed the raid twice before was because they had grown exhausted before they could chip away its health.
‘This is doable.’
But it was different now. The high attack power was rapidly depleting the polar bear’s health, and the +13 aura effect was slowly regenerating her own. Not only that, but it also had damage reduction and reflection. She discarded the conclusion from her two failed attempts—that she couldn’t afford a long fight—and was now deliberately drawing it out.
“Go team, go!”
“...Be quiet!”
As victory seemed certain, Han Simin’s cheering grew louder. Winning was the best possible outcome. He had helped with the raid, so she would be deeply indebted to him, and defeating a level-twenty named monster would surely yield some good items. Most importantly...
‘I’ll probably gain about five levels, right?’ Even with a 200% experience penalty, he should still get a massive amount of EXP.
“...Huh?”
As his thoughts reached that point, Han Simin suddenly felt that something was missing. A sense of unease crept in just as he was getting excited about the prospect of power-leveling.
“Ah!”
After a moment of thought, he realized what it was. It was just as Jeong Seolah was about to claim victory after a long, thirty-minute battle.
“Nooo! Party! Send a party invite!”
He was too stunned to speak.
Pshnk.
"Graaaah."
[‘Jeong Seolah’ has joined the party.]
The polar bear collapsed. A tense silence fell over the area.
‘What’s going to happen?’ Did it die after she joined the party? Surely it didn’t just die, right? This wasn’t a system that gave all the experience to the player who landed the final blow, but based on contribution, Han Simin wouldn’t get a single point of EXP if they weren’t in a party. All he had done was dodge once and get kicked across the forest.
‘Please!’
He didn’t want to go back to the tedious brawls with rabbits. He wanted to level up all at once. His desperate wish came to fruition.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
“Wow!” Tears of joy blurred his vision. Han Simin and Jeong Seolah looked at each other and smiled. He approached her first and extended his hand. Jeong Seolah, momentarily flustered by his bold move, soon took his offered hand.
“...Uh. Good work.”
“Yeah, thank you. We caught it thanks to you.”
She gave a radiant smile. While her expressionless face suited her, a full smile amplified her beauty several times over. Honored to see it up close, Han Simin laughed awkwardly and scratched his head with his free hand. She was beautiful, but he had to say what needed to be said.
“About the dagger...”
“...Ah. Right.”
Their clasped hands awkwardly separated.
* * *
6.
Ultimately, Han Simin and Jeong Seolah grew closer. Though they had only met a day ago, they both wanted to befriend one another, and Han Simin’s bold decision had earned him her trust. The nature of the game made it easier to be more open.
“I think it would be better if you took this.”
“Huh?”
Unable to stand being the only one receiving, Jeong Seolah offered Han Simin the ring they had gotten from the polar bear.
“What is this...”
He hadn’t expected much. Although he had lent her the dagger, Jeong Seolah was the one who had actually killed the polar bear, and his contribution had been rewarded with experience points. He was satisfied enough that she had unreluctantly accepted his party invite, even though she could have gotten much more EXP by killing it alone. But he got an item on top of that?
“I’d rather you just come to me for your future enhancement needs...”
Suspicion crept in. ‘Is she trying to use me for free with this?’ From what he could see, a ring dropped by a named monster, especially if it was the only item drop, had to be at least a Rare-grade item. Why would she give it to him? His cynical soul judged Jeong Seolah by his own standards.
“That’s a given, of course. This is just a gift.”
He was silent.
“If you still don’t trust me, you can consider it a bribe.”
“A bribe for what...”
“Because I want to recruit you to our team.”
“Oh!”
So that was it. Of course, a beautiful woman wouldn’t show kindness for no reason. Finally understanding, Han Simin nodded. He had thought there was no reason to play with anyone else. His ability would attract wealthy players without any need for promotion, and if he were tied to a guild, he would inevitably be forced to offer his services cheaply. He would get a lot in return, but in all the guilds Han Simin had been in since gaining his ability, he had never once gotten more than he gave.
“Well...”
He hesitated, even knowing Jeong Seolah was rich, and even after confirming she was generous enough to give up the reward from a named monster.
“It’s a small, elite team, so there are no restrictions, especially for you. You can just play as you are now and handle our enhancements.”
“...Hmm.”
Despite his hesitation, Jeong Seolah’s temptation continued. Having tasted the power of the +13 dagger, her valuation of Han Simin was skyrocketing.
‘I have to get him.’ So, though it was a bit cheap, she decided to exploit the weakness she had observed in him.
“If you join us, I can help you out with the enhancement stones needed to level up your skill...” she offered.
She didn’t expect much. The value of an enhancement master, as she saw it, wasn’t something that could be bought with a few pennies. However, she judged that if this could sway him even a little, she would be in a better position than other players who didn’t yet know his value. Unfortunately for her, her judgment was wrong for the first time in a long while. The weakness she had targeted was a bullseye.
Han Simin’s hands clasped over her slender ones.
“I look forward to working with you, Team Captain. Guild Master? Ma’am? What should I call you?”
His eyes were burning with desire.
* * *
In Fantastic World, a guild was a special organization. Unlike in other games where you could just click a button to create one, you had to apply for establishment and meet certain conditions. Only then would the game’s system features apply. As such, Jeong Seolah had not yet established one.
“Level twenty, four or more members, a guild headquarters, and one hundred gold coins. Those are the conditions for establishing a guild.”
As they headed to what she called the guild headquarters back in the castle, Han Simin’s jaw dropped.
“A h-hundred gold coins?”
“It is expensive, but we have no choice. The sooner we make a guild, the better. This game is so realistic that communication between more than two people is difficult.”
“Ah.”
Han Simin, who couldn’t even dream of spending $10,000 to create a guild, nodded. It wasn’t his money to spend, anyway.
“I’ve called the other team members, so they should be there already. We’ll just say hello, and then I’ll ask you to start on the enhancements right away.”
“Okay.”
Jeong Seolah’s team, the Specialists, had their guild headquarters located in a quiet part of the castle. Seeing the rather large two-story building, he was surprised yet again.
‘Just how much money does this woman spend?’ At this point, he was starting to suspect she was printing it somewhere. But his surprise was only just beginning. The moment he opened the door and stepped inside, a huge shadow fell over him.
“Are you the bastard who wasted four hours of our dear Seolah’s time?”
Han Simin felt it instinctively.
‘This is a hell party.’
* * *
